Old Flames
by TinySprite
Summary: Sigma 6 verse. Really just a one-shot starring Scarlet.


TinySprite: (sips water) Hey guys! Sorry it's all been so slow lately. Just dealing with some stuff along with writer's block and all.

Spirit: (sighs) I'll do the disclaimer.

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of GI Joe aside from fan-available items. Hasbro is the rightful owner.

Tiny: For once, this wasn't inspired by Twitter! Anyway, on with the fic!

*words* = sign language

(-)

Shana O'Hara, aka Scarlet, let out a happy sigh as she relaxed in the metal chair she was sitting in. Having a rare bit of time off, most of the team was back at the hotel they were currently staying in, catching up on lost sleep or relaxing there. Shana, however, had decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and explore the town a little.

Dressed in civilian clothes of a light green tank top, blue jeans and a pair of simple brown sandals, Shana had briefly window shopped for a bit before getting a text message from Snake Eyes. He'd wanted to meet up for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon with her, something the redhead had happily agreed to. Right now, she was waiting at the cafe she'd found and told him about, sitting at one of the outdoor tables in a mostly secluded corner.

She glanced at her communicator, resisting the urge to drum her fingers on the metal tabletop as she wondered about how much time had passed since that last text. It was a somewhat new invention of Hi-Tech's, though the 'invention' part was debatable. The communicator was a plain, simplistic looking black flip-top cell phone instead of their previous card-like ones from before. The new ones were for use in civilian settings and technically she was field testing this one. It had just about all the capabilities of a regular phone, but could only call the other ones or Hi-Tech's computers.

About to reach for it to check the time, Shana was stopped by someone calling her name. Glancing up, she was surprised to see a tall, good-looking male just a few feet from her table. He was dressed for the warm weather in a gray t-shirt with dark jeans and a pair of regular sneakers. As soon as their eyes made contact, he broke out into a wide smile, revealing perfectly white teeth, "Shana! It is you! It's been a while hasn't it?"

He stepped up to her table and seated himself without asking, leaning forward to continue on, "What are you doing here? I thought you were still back home in Atlanta helping your dad out at the dojo."

Her mind had blanked for a second before recalling old information from years ago. Blinking in surprise, Shana asked, "Kyle?"

He gave her another bright smile, hazel eyes flitting over her in a gaze she knew well, "The one and only. So, how have things been going?"

Inwardly, Shana sighed, wishing she didn't have this headache to deal with. Outwardly, she put on a basic smile and stated, "Not much really. I finished school, joined the military and from what I hear Sean's going to take over the dojo in a few years."

Kyle nodded, moving his chair to be closer to her, "The military huh? Why'd a lovely girl like you decide to do that?"

The redhead didn't hide her sigh this time, having been asked this near exact same question several times before, "It was a personal choice Kyle. I wanted to join up and that's that."

She frowned at him and moved her own chair a little bit away, trying to keep some space between them. He didn't seem to notice either, instead leaning closer in to her, a teasing smile on his face, "Really? You can tell me the truth Shana. There was some guy you wanted to impress right?"

Shana let out another sigh, this one harsher than the previous one. Again, another thing many had brought up before, "Kyle, I joined up because I wanted to. It wasn't to impress anyone and it wasn't to show-off. I did it because I wanted to serve my country and that's that."

She decided to change the subject before he could press on, "Anyway, what have you been up to?"

He finally leaned back from her, a broader smile on his face as he rubbed one hand briefly through his short light brown hair, "Eh, not much either. Finished college, transferred between a couple dojos and right now I'm just helping my brother run his gym."

Shana nodded politely, wanting to ask more about the dojo part but she didn't want to give him the impression of being interested. She definitely remembered Kyle now. He'd been a student of her family's dojo during high school, joining in his freshman year. Back then, she'd thought he was the cutest boy and quickly developed a crush on him. Since they were a grade apart, she'd waited until she herself was in high school before telling him.

Kyle had been delighted, telling her he'd always liked her too. They started dating almost immediately afterward, only to break up after he graduated high school. Kyle had been accepted to an out of state college and they'd heard about how long-distance relationships never worked so they'd agreed to break up. They'd made a silly promise back then to get back together some time in the future, something Shana had forgotten about until now.

Seeing how Kyle was looking at her and how he kept trying to come in closer, the redhead had a sinking feeling he'd also remembered that promise. A waitress came up at that moment, saving her from further conversation, "Miss, have you decided on anything yet?"

Kyle piped up before Shana could say anything, "I'll have a coffee, black with two sugars. She'll have a sweet tea, hot if you don't mind. We'd both like an ice cream bowl, mine with moose tracks and hers with cotton candy if you have it."

Shana frowned at him, turning to tell the waitress, "Cancel the ones for me please. I'm still waiting on my boyfriend."

Kyle glanced over to stare at her, apparently surprised at the idea she was dating, "Really?"

Shana nodded, feeling her irritation with him rise, "Yes really."

The brunet made a show of glancing around before saying, "Well, I don't see anyone, so why don't you let me treat you? For old times' sake."

Shana sighed, feeling the last of her good mood crumbling, "Thank you but no Kyle. He and I are going to have lunch and I don't want to ruin my appetite."

It was the politest thing she could think of at the moment, but he didn't seem to appreciate that, frowning at her, "Come on Shana, don't be like that. One ice-cream isn't going to hurt anyone."

The waitress, having been silent with a practiced ease, suddenly said, "Excuse me, but is this all?"

They spoke at the same time Kyle confirming it while Shana denied it. The two at the table glanced at one another, both clearly irritated. He opened his mouth to say something but Shana cut him off, "Kyle, thank you for the offer, but I'm waiting on my boyfriend. We've already made plans and I'm looking forward to them. Now would you please leave me alone?"

His face hardened, "That's no way to treat an old friend Shana. Especially since I'm offering to treat you."

She just about glared at him, "Kyle, I asked you to leave me alone. Now, are you going to prove that you're a friend and respect that or what?"

He stubbornly stayed in his seat and instead tried to change the subject, "Is he threatening you Shana? Doesn't want you talking to other guys, is that it? I can help you, you know."

The redhead found herself staring at him, not believing what he'd just said. This was not the kid she'd dated all those years ago, especially if he was using _that_ to get her to stick around. Feeling her anger building up inside, Shana grabbed her communicator and stuffed it into her simple black purse, sliding the strap onto her shoulder as she stood up to leave, "I don't believe you!"

As she began to storm off, Kyle jumped up to stop her and made his biggest mistake. He grabbed Shana's arm and pulled back on it. Instinct kicked in as she grabbed his wrist and applied pressure to force him to let her go before moving smoothly to twist his offending arm up behind his back. When he tried to get at her with his free arm, she grabbed that one too and gave it the same treatment before kicking his knees out from under him to force Kyle into a kneeling position.

She stopped herself before she broke something, but Shana wasn't above causing him pain at this point. She was disappointed at having made a scene though, but there was no helping that now. Glaring down at him, she growled, "This is the third time I've asked you to leave me alone Kyle. Keep bothering me and I will contact the police. Do you understand that?"

He grimaced but nodded, his face red with both pain and humiliation. Shana let him go and stalked off, not bothering to glance back but still keeping her guard up in case he tried something else. He didn't, at least not now, which allowed her to relax a little bit as she walked down the sidewalk away from the cafe. She hadn't gotten anything from there, having wanted to wait for Snake Eyes before ordering anything, so at least she didn't have a bill weighing on her mind.

Frowning to herself, Shana took a different route back to the hotel, just in case Kyle followed her. On the way, she was surprised to walk into Snake Eyes himself. He had a long sleeved blue shirt on with dark gloves, dark jeans and a pair of dark boots on, along with his face mask and a pair of sunglasses. He seemed just as surprised to see her, starting the motions to sign an apology for being late, but Shana interrupted that by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug.

He stood still for a second, most likely in confusion, before his arms wrapped around her to return the gesture. She enjoyed his embrace for a moment, before pulling back to tell him, "I love you."

He pulled his hands back to sign, *I love you too. Is everything fine?*

She nodded, taking one of his hands in hers, "Yeah, just fine. Now how about that lunch?"

Though the incident with her ex still irked her, Shana was determined to not let it ruin her day. If she'd forgotten about him before, she could do it again. What she had with Snake Eyes was beyond what she'd had with Kyle and she refused to let anyone disrupt it.

(-)

Tiny: Yeah, so this was actually inspired by a song, Pink's 'U + Ur Hand'. Don't ask, I was barely awake so I hardly know myself. Feedback is much appreciated!


End file.
